Luxembourg urged Zelensky not to issue ultimatums over Ukraine’s EU accession

Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel urged Volodymyr Zelensky not to issue ultimatums about Ukraine joining the European Union.

Bettel made the statement in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

He said he “would not want to disappoint Ukrainians, who are also fighting for Europeans,” but stressed that the EU accession requirements are the same for all candidate countries.

“I heard that President Zelensky said they should become an EU member next year. I’m sorry—I’ve told him several times: no ultimatums; it’s not in your interest. The point is that there are rules, we have common criteria, and we have to follow them. We can’t say the criteria apply to some but not to others. We can’t turn a blind eye and cancel the criteria. What I do believe in is a new mechanism of the European Political Community, where we are not dependent on the approval of the EU’s 27 member states—we could have 30–40 members, we could use pseudo-Schengen rules, and not all criteria would necessarily have to be met,” the minister said.

He also noted that “without Europe and the United States, Ukraine would have lost.”

Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Ukraine would not be able to join the EU in 2027.